c.1917 Sheaffer-Clip No.2 Flat Top Fountain Pen - SUPERFLEX

Vintage: c.1917

Make: Sheaffer

Model: No. 2 Flat Top

Color: black chased

Materials: ebonite/hard rubber with nickel-plated trim

Filling System: lever-filler (resacced and ready to write)

Length: This full-sized model measures 5 5/16” capped. 

Nib: 14k Sheaffer Self-Filling #2 nib is a is a STUB yielding SUPERFLEX variation with FLEXIBLE softness. Under normal pressure it lays down a smooth and consistent M line on the down-strokes and XF line on the cross-strokes. Note that I don’t think this was a factory grind; instead the iridium seems to have been worn into a stub over decades of writing. Under moderate pressure the line widens to a 4B+ (approx 2.3mm).

Condition: Hard rubber retains its dark black color with scarcely any discernible fading. Chasing is evenly deep and sharp throughout. HR surface is smooth and lustrous with no deep scratches or other noteworthy blemishes. Nickel-plated trim shows no brassing or other notable wear. Manufacturer imprint on barrel is fully legible yet weakened in the center. ‘2’ stamp on barrel-end is factory deep and fully legible. 

Details: It was Walter A. Sheaffer who first patented the lever-filling fountain pen in 1908. In 1912 he founded the Sheaffer pen company and his revolutionary design was met with resounding acclaim. In the 1910s, when the pocket clip and lever filler were recent innovations, Sheaffer pens were typically marked "Sheaffer-Clip" on the clips and "Self-Filling" on the nibs to distinguish them from the oldfangled clipless eyedroppers of other makers. Most of their model lineup in this period – before stiff, manifold nibs became the rage in the mid-20s - was comprised of simple black hard rubber pens with long-tined gold nibs every bit as flexible as early Waterman's but known for their more responsive snap-back. The "big S" imprint and barrel threads of this pen date its manufacture to c.1917.